The idea of getting dressed at your house and riding to your local riding area is the norm for Pennsylvania, so right away I was excited.
After making fun of Ed for using trials tires and all the other weird gadgets on his bike we headed out to his practice loop. At first we were on 4 wheeler trail in the woods and then were we on virgin single track up in the hills outside of town. Before hand Ed told me his loop took about 30 minutes, so I figured that’s cool we’ll do a couple of loops.  A couple of miles in and I realized that my friend Ed is crazy. His practice loop was one of the hardest trails I’ve ridden since the Last Man Standing. The course consisted of no less than 50 log crossings, none of which were at a straight angle. And worse still, none of them had bark on them so slick would be a good way to describe them. If the logs weren’t enough, he had rocks everywhere. On top of that he had cute little names for sections.  One section would be the Rock Garden, or the Fern Trail, or the Misty Creek bed. All of these names were quickly replaced by my new names for them (ie; Satan’s Rock Garden or Satan’s fern trail). The first time through I thought maybe we were lost, surely this couldn’t be the trail, but every time I thought this, my leader would keep going forward. Just before the end of the loop, we were on a nice little 4 wheeler trail for about 100 yards, when for no apparent reason Ed takes off up the side of the hill. I stopped, scratching my head thinking where is he going, but sure enough there was a little piece of ribbon on one of the trees so up I go.  About half way up, the trail narrowed and I longed for one of those trials tires as I had lost all of my grip on the rock base and quickly fell off the edge. I jumped off just in time to watch my beloved YZ250 roll down the hill on its side, a very sad sight indeed. After much struggling and a few choice words I finally managed to retrieve my bike and get back on the trail. After the hill we were finally at the end. I looked at my watch and realized that it had taken us 15 minutes longer than Ed’s usual pace. Most of this was due to me being on my head no less than 5 times, but still it was very upsetting. Never one to be beaten we went out for another loop and remained crash free the whole time. This time around we shaved 30 seconds off of Ed’s best time, so I was much happier. Throughout the week we would ride here two more times and eventually shave another minute off our lap time. If you're ever in the area and need a tour guide look Ed up, he would love to (beat the crap out of you) show you a good time.  Thanks to Ed and Tina Ponikvar, Smethport, PA.

WNOYA River Ratz Hare Scramble
Athens, Pennsylvania
Sunday, August 26, 2007

 Since I was going to Pennsylvania for a much needed vacation I figured why not hit one of the local races. Krystal and I left after work on Friday and 27 hours later we arrived in New York a few miles from the next day’s race. With a little sleep in me the next morning we headed to the race.  The start of the race was a little strange.  They started on a hill, but not at the bottom or top, right in the middle on an off camber. With my typical last place start it was going to be a long day.  On the first lap I made a couple of passes and then quickly lost those positions by making mistakes. A couple of miles in, I realized that they have rocks in New York, lots of them.  It makes since, we were on the side of a mountain, but up until then I hadn’t thought about it. The trail was littered with flat, loose rocks with a rock base, and it was really tight. I quickly realized this was going to be tougher than I had planned.  There was one open section where they had mowed a corn field and put a grass track in.  This would be one of the few places to pass. It  was funny too because the locals evidently weren’t used to going that fast and I was able to pull 450’s through it, but once we got back in the rocks the tables would turn. The trail turned out to be a lot of fun and very challenging. 
I finally made a few passes and worked my way up to sixth.  The only real way to pass was to hit the other person and hope that they would let off. These guys were really aggressive, something I’m not at all accustomed to. Towards the end of the race my lack of sleep finally caught up with me and my lap times dropped considerably. In the end I finished 6^th in class and 7^th overall and had a great time. The bar to bar action was a lot of fun. The course was extremely challenging but a great riding area. Congratulations to my local tour guide/vacation host Ed Ponikvar on his first win in the Expert class and 19^th overall.

TSCEC Gator Bait Enduro
Columbus, Texas
Sunday, June 24, 2007

Round 9 of the Texas Championship Enduro series was held at Skull Off-road Park in Columbus, Texas. Originally I wasn’t planning on riding this event, but 2-time ISDE rider and longtime mentor, Manny Garza called and asked if I would ride on the same row with him so I couldn’t say ‘no. Charlie Marshall of Columbus Cycle Shop also managed to get on our row, so it was going to be a lot of fun. The race format was restart format which usually suits my style, but today was a little different.  There were no transfer sections like normal, instead when you came out of one test you stopped and waited and then started another.  This takes a lot of the fun out of it, because you lose all of the trail time when you get to ride with your buddies and see who can ride the longest wheelie or who can roost who the most. Even though the race was all test sections I still had a good time. The conditions were perfect.  Some of the trail was virgin and by the time we got to it the berms were awesome with some whoops forming. I had a couple of problems early in the day, one when I somehow derailed my chain and another when I wrecked in a test section, but other than that I felt really good. The second loop didn’t go very well, because I had forgotten to bring anything to eat at the gas stop.  By the last couple of tests I was just running out of energy and making tons of mistakes. All in all we had a good time at this event. I finished 6^th overall, while Manny finished 2^nd in his class and Charlie finished 4^th in his first ever enduro.  Thanks to The Trail Riders of Houston for putting on a fun and challenging event.



Storm Brunes Mill Hare Scramble
Columbus, Texas
Sunday, June 17, 2007

The 5th round of the STORM hare scramble series was held this past weekend at Brunes Mill Ranch in Columbus, Texas. The race had been rescheduled from it's original date due to rain and flooding. The weather on the new date didn't start out much better with heavy rain on Friday and some Saturday morning. When practice time rolled around on Saturday afternoon the trails were in perfect condition. All that quickly changed though. Five minutes into my first lap the skies opened up and soaked us all. Since it was a 10 mile loop I was wet from head to toe by the time the lap was over.
After that we headed to the hotel to try and get every thing dry in time for my race the next day. Later that night we went out to the local Pizza Hut to load up on some extra carbs and have a little fun. The food was horrible, but we did have a good time playing video games where I destroyed my smack-talking girlfriend in an old-school game of Galaga. After that it was off to bed for a good nights sleep.
Race day started out with more rain and a lot of people were leaving already. Since I'm chasing points I decided to stick it out and l get in some practice. During the morning race some more rain fell just as the track was drying out. Just before the start of my race it would rain one last time. On the start I picked the only non muddy line in sight. I would have to go through a thorn bush, but I figured it would be worth it to not be in the mud. My line worked out well much to the delight of the spectators who had a hard time believing that I would actually ride though a thorn bush on the start. I didn't get a good jump, but since I had good traction I was still able to get to the first turn first. After a little bumping with Nathan Goertz I was in the lead and never looked back.
The first lap was extremely slick and wet, with all the face slappers still holding water wreaking havoc on my goggles. Without any real practice, I missed quite a few turns and took some really bad lines on the first lap. Other than that, the lap was uneventful. I had already built up a little lead over 2nd place and throughout the race I would just try to extend it. In the end I won by just over 2 minutes. And even though I won I was really riding poorly. I never did get comfortable hitting turns and I wasn't being aggressive enough. It's always good to win, but I'm not happy with the way I rode at all. The trail on the other hand ended up being a lot of fun with 10 miles of tight, twisty single track.
Thanks to Charlie Marshall and Columbus Cycle Supply for helping me out this week, and to Bill Chedsey for getting me in and out of the pits in a hurry. Sorry, but no pics this week because of the rain. See you at the races.


STORM Outlaw Trax Hare Scramble
Montgomery, Texas
Sunday, May 20, 2007

Round 4 of the South Texas Hare Scrambles series was held at Outlaw Trax just outside of Montgomery Texas.  The property is surrounded by the Sam Houston National Forest so the terrain is just like riding at home.  My friend Chuck and I do practice there pretty often also.  Living just 30 minutes away I was able to get a good nights sleep and felt really good on race day.  I never did hear the horn blow before the race so I got to the line a little late.  What's new, right?  The last spot was on the extreme inside, but I didn't worry too much.  I got a good jump on everyone and was third into the first corner. 
I moved into 2nd on the motocross track and was following Nathan Goertz when we went into the woods.  Nathan rides really well, but I could tell he didn't get much practice in.  Within the first mile he overshot a turn and gave me the lead.  I was very glad for this because we had just gotten to the really dusty section.  When I got by him I charged hard and made sure and blow up all the berms so no one behind me could see.  It must have worked because a couple of miles in and I couldn't hear anyone anymore. 
Around the 8 mile marker I missed a turn and tipped over while brake sliding.  When I got up I could hear the 4 stroke of Josh Young right behind me.  After that I charged hard and put a little gap on him.  I was planning on pitting after the 2nd lap so I pushed really hard on that lap and was able to pit and get out before he came through.  From there on I just put in good solid laps without too many mistakes.  I ended up doing 6 ten mile laps with my lap times never varying more than 40 or so seconds.  In the end I won by just over a minute and was really happy with my ride.  My Moose Racing YZ 250 worked excellent and the course turned out to be a lot of fun.  Thanks to Bill Chedsey for getting me out of the pits really quick and to everyone else who was cheering for me.  All the support really means a lot.  See you at the races.











Loretta Lynn's GNCC
Sunday, April 29, 2007

The Loretta Lynn's GNCC is the oldest race on the circuit and the closest to my neck of the woods so I figured I would go and give it a try. The race is 12 hours away, so my girlfriend and I left out at 4 in the morning so we could make it in time to register. The first difference you notice about this series compared to the ones back home is the amount of people. There were probably 5 times as many people, at least. After being there for 15 minutes we finally found registration and got signed up. I signed up in the 250A class since I knew I couldn't run the pace of the Pro's. After registering we headed to the Hotel for some much needed sleep. On race day we got to the track a little early and managed to find a great spot to park/pit right on the track. After getting the bike ready and going through tech inspection we were ready to race. On the start I got a pretty good jump, but I was lined up on the outside so all I could do in the first turn was wait. I was somewhere in the middle of the 25 rider field. The first thing I realized was how dusty it was and the fact that I didn't have an extra air filter ready. The first part of the track was super fast and dusty and I immediately lost positions being too cautious.
After the start we crossed a little paved road and went out onto the offroad portion of the 11 mile loop. Soon after that I realized that this race probably wasn't going to be a lot of fun. The course was so beat up from all the riders it was hard to find a smooth line anywhere. This being the oldest Gncc, I think maybe they've used the same course every year. The trail was littered with rocks and square edged holes throughout. And if that wasn't enough mix in loose soil, steep uphills, steeper downhills and dust.
My arm pump has been getting better, but today was not one of those days. Trying to fight the rocks with my hands going numb wasn't working and I went down several times because of it. Everytime I crashed I would get passed. The last time when I stood up I caught a barkbuster to the elbow. Not a good feeling let me tell you. After all the excitement of the first lap I decided to just make it to the finish. I realized very quickly that my level of fitness wasn't even close to being up to par with what this race deserved.
On the second lap I was already running out of my HEED energy drink. I pitted on the third lap and my Dad filled my bike up while I downed a redbull and got fresh goggles. From there to the end nothing exciting happened. I would pit once more for water, but I didn't have any more get offs. My arm pump never did go away so I never did get up to speed. In the end I finished 13th in class and 55th overall after 3 hours and 66 miles of racing. Not nearly what I'm capable of. It was a good learning experience, but next time I'll be a lot more prepared. Thanks to Krystal and my Dad for all the help and support. See you at the races.


TORCS Round #3
Sunday, April 22, 2007

After the race on Saturday we drove what seemed like forever finally arriving at the hotel in hopes of getting a good nights sleep, and we almost did until some drunk lady came in our room. After that I never could get back to sleep. Since I raced the track on Saturday you would have thought that I knew all the good lines.
For some reason I didn't feel like I learned much, so we got up wicked early (5:30am) so we could make it in time for the parade lap. I got to ride two laps, one at speed and one just looking for lines. I found some really good ones that I knew would come in handy. At 11:30 we lined up for the Pro race. Not all of the riders from the qualifier showed up so there were only eight of us. Not something you want to see. Less riders means less payback.
Once again I didn't get the best start and was in around 5th after the first turn. Bryan Johnson had gotten the holeshot and Clay Hoenshell was dogging him trying to get around. I made one pass in the woods and was now following Josh Young. Josh and Clay managed to get around Bryan, but I didn't. I could see that they both put a gap on immediately. Right about the time I finally got by Bryan my arms started to pump up. I'm not sure where this came from, but It's not helpful while riding a dirtbike. I knew I couldn't put it in cruise mode on the first lap, so I just tried to minimize the mistakes. In the process the leaders left me.
On the second lap I had a really spectacular crash. I went through a deep whoop section and actually had the back of my bike pass the front for a second in a big swap. I was then instantly drove to the ground. All the crash was caught on film. It turned out good though since the pain of the wreck and the bent handlebars took my mind off of my armpump, and I was able to ride normally again. After that little excitement I looked back and could see Nathan Goertz behind me. I knew he would be fast since this is his home track, so I put my head down and charged as hard as I could. I was able to get away from him quickly and within in the next lap I caught Josh Young who must have been tired of running Clay's pace. I passed Josh and tried to charge ahead to catch Clay. I got pretty close when he pitted, but I just never could run his pace.
For the last couple of laps I pushed pretty hard and ended up second. Clay won by 1:06 over me and Josh was 1:00 behind me. In the end I'm happy to do as well as I did in the dryslick conditions, but I need to work on that little something to put me up on top. In the end it was a good weekend, and I got a lot of practice in. Next week is the Gncc so I'll need all I can get.






TORCS Round #3
Saturday, April 21, 2007

Round three of the TORCS series was held in Bastrop Texas. All of the area offers great riding conditions and the Goertz ranch is no exception. I haven't been riding much and I knew this would be a good way to get some seat time in. The TORCS series allows you to race on Sat. and Sun. so you can get alot of practice in. The Saturday race is called the Pro-Qualifier and is basically and additional practice session. There is a payout to the top three so a lot of people signed up. The race is only 70 minutes so you have to push hard right from the start. Off the start I got a bad jump and then just spun in the grass. I went into the woods somewhere around the back of the pack. The leaders had obviously practiced a little and were running a faster pace than I was willing to go on the unfamiliar track. I hooked up with Craig Chedsey and we trail rode for the first couple of laps. When I finally felt comfortable Martin Howell had caught up to me and he helped to pick up my pace with some good lines. We basically rode together for the second half of the race just taking turns leading. I ended up 4th just out of the money, but I did get in some good practice for the Pro race on Sunday. I also got to do little suspension testing trying to get my bike dialed in and seems to be working well.















Storm Hare Scramble
Sunday, March 18, 2007

The second round of the STORM series was held at the Heffley Ranch in Columbus Tx. I really like this race and was looking forward to it all week. The terrain is a lot like what a I grew up riding with deep sand and lots of trees and roots. The area received eight inches of rain the week of the race and I new it would be a mud race. Before the race I mounted the biggest Pirrelli tire I could find and was running the oldest softest Bib Mousse I had, hoping to get all the traction possible.
On the start I noticed new comer, supercross racer Ryan Grantom beside me. With neither one of us paying much attention, and being his first Hare Scramble, we both missed the wave of the flag. I got out just in front of him with Josh Young still kicking his 450 on the starting line. The first couple of turns were deep and sandy and I was able to move up from my 14th place start to around 4th or 5th by the time we entered the woods. When we got to the first of the mud holes I was able to pick off three more guys by just taking better lines. Bryan Johnson had gotten the holeshot and was trying to check out. I put my head down and caught him in the next mile or so. Knowing the bad mud was coming up I drove into a turn really hot and dove inside of him just so I wouldn't have to follow anyone through the water holes. After that I just pinned it back. With everyone getting stuck or falling down I played it safe and just tried to pick good lines. I was able to push hard the whole race and my Moose Racing YZ250 worked excellent. In the end I won by over 6 minutes and lapped 5th place. Josh Young put in an excellent ride coming from dead last to finish 2nd. Thanks to Pro-Clean 1000 for making my bike look new again.  





Storm Skull Creek Hare Scramble
Sunday, March 4, 2007

Storm Hare Scramble Sunday, March 4, 2007 The first round of the South Texas hare scrambles series was held in Columbus, Texas at Skull Creek offroad park. I hadn't ridden for a month due to a torn miniscus so I figured it would be a good place to go and get some practice in. The start was held in real deep sand so I lined up inside to get as close as possible to the first turn. I didn't get the best jump, but I controlled the inside line and was able to cut under everyone to take the holeshot. Once out front I put my head down and put in a few solid laps. The track got really whooped out and I was glad to have the Factory Connection suspension on my new bike. Martin Howell was riding really well in second and he kept me honest the whole race. In the end I won by around two minutes. It was a good way to start the new season. 















Texas National Enduro
Sunday, February 4, 2007

Since Texas doesn’t host too many National Enduros I figured I better make this one.  It was held at Barnwell Mountain recreation area in North East Texas.  The weather was perfect all weekend with lots of moisture in the ground.  The race started off well and the trails were a lot of fun, but for some reason I couldn't get my rhythm.  I rode decently, but never could get up to speed due to severe arm pump.  I usually get arm pump, but for some reason today it never would go away. I ended up outside the top 20 because of it. The course was a lot of fun with a few challenging sections.  I would definitely go back. 


TORCS Round #1
Sunday, January 28, 2007

The first round of the TORCS series kicked off over the weekend in Austin, Texas at Cross Creek Cycle Park.  With five inches of rain at home the week of the race I really wasn’t prepared.  The track was really muddy Saturday in practice so I decided no to race the Pro Qualifier and save my bike. By race time Sunday the t rack had dried out nicely and was even dusty in spots.
The race: I got a terrible jump on the start and was close to last after the first turn. About 10 minutes into the race I realized that I should have ridden a few times in the last month because ARM PUMP set in.  I spoded around for the next 30 minutes trying to get it to go away and finally it did.  By the time I actually started felling good the leader had checked out to about 2 or 3 minutes on me. 
I put my head down and started charging.  Cornbread Craig kept telling me I was gaining so I kept it up working me from around 6th or 7th up to 2nd.  I moved into 2nd with about 4 laps to go and still a minute thirty down on the leader.  By the finish I was within 25 seconds.  I was pretty happy with the ride considering this was my first ride this year and my first TORCS race ever.
My Factory Connection, Moose backed Yamaha worked great.  The course was good, and the track crew did a great job all weekend with all the mud.  All in all a great weekend!